About Beryl

Born and raised in South Louisiana, Beryl Stokes is grew-up in Baton Rouge, Springfield, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Each area providing its own distinct culture and culinary cuisines.

Beryl even spent five years living on the Atlantic Coast of Florida on Amelia Island where a love of all things seafood were further instilled. Amelia Island was the home to an annual Shrimp Festival which made Beryl feel right at home.

Beryl’s ancestors go back to the Acadians that were banished to Louisiana from Nova Scotia in the 1700s. Her people are Heberts, Babins, and Caillouets.

Although Beryl is quite the cook now, there was a time when she could barely boil a pot of water without scorching a pot.

She even melted through a pot of boiling water and blew a burner on the stove one time. It sounded like a lightning strike inside the house.

But through much trial and error, a great cook has emerged. So much so, that people began to ask for her recipes at work, family gatherings, and football parties.

Beryl learned a great deal of cooking skills from her mother Patsy and grandmother Catherine Hebert, also known as Maw Maw.

Just like with most Southern Cajun families, recipes and cooking know-how was simply passed down through the generations.

However, we find there is now a generation that has not really paid attention to cooking fresh and home-made meals.

Our daughters and their contemporaries grew-up in the 90’s where fast-food, delivery pizza, frozen dinners and microwave ovens were prevalent means for busy moms to feed their families quickly.

Families have been slow to accept the fact that that fast-food and packaged meals are not the best for their overall health. Too much fat, sugar, sodium and carbohydrates are no longer acceptable as nutritious ingredients in our food.

In our home we strive every day to prepare fresh and clean food that is free of artificial flavors, MSG, nitrates, fillers, other chemicals and GMOs.

Have you ever read the label on the packaged “foods” they are selling us?

You won’t find many packaged food items in our recipes – we believe in as fresh and natural as possible.

Starting this website was and is to provide our three daughters, our god-daughters, and grandchildren with a living breathing record of not only our easy and simple recipes, but a video record of us cooking together in the kitchen.

We are a colorful and fun family that enjoys dancing in the kitchen while cooking and then sharing that meal with each other. Really that’s what a dinner in South Louisiana is all about – family and friends.

We invite you into our home to experience our Saturday night dinners and learn how you can create easy and delicious recipes along with simple techniques for everyday cooks just like you.

Bon appetite!

To read more about Beryl and her mission for Cajun Cooking TV, please go to this other article on our blog: